Healed Before You Are Healed
Faith heals the spirit. Faith heals the soul. When we say, “if you are willing,” we are already healed. When we accept the Lord’s will, we are saying, “I accept whatever outcome you have for me, because I trust you will be with me either way.”
Matthew 8:1-3
When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean”
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy
Lord, if you are willing.
I know you CAN, but WILL you?
Faith heals the spirit. Faith heals the soul. When we say, “if you are willing,” we are already healed. When we accept the Lord’s will, we are saying, “I accept whatever outcome you have for me, because I trust you will be with me either way.”
And he will.
Would there be disappointment if it wasn’t the Lord’s will? Certainly. BUT, would there be bitterness? No. When we accept the Lord’s will we banish bitterness.
In the hard places, can we say, “Lord, if you are willing.”
Can we accept either outcome and can we abide and find Him in either outcome? When we say yes, we usher in healing for our soul.
Challenge: Make time for a three-minute breath meditation. Bring your focus to something you have been wrestling with and focus on asking the Lord if He is willing. Then simply inhale acceptance and exhale attachment.
XO, Mia
Why I Include Balance In All My Classes
If you are over 50 and have been to the doctor recently, you might have noticed the questioning has changed somewhat. The question “have you fallen” shows up on the list as they are taking our history. And for good reason, as we age our balance does indeed become a problem. The CDC reports that falls among adults 65 and older caused over 36,000 deaths in 2020, making it the leading cause of injury death for that group. Can Yoga assist in preventing falls? I think the answer is yes. Here are just a few reasons yoga can assist in preventing falls.
If you are over 50 and have been to the doctor recently, you might have noticed the questioning has changed somewhat. The question “have you fallen” shows up on the list as they are taking our history. And for good reason, as we age our balance does indeed become a problem. The CDC reports that falls among adults 65 and older caused over 36,000 deaths in 2020, making it the leading cause of injury death for that group. Can Yoga assist in preventing falls? I think the answer is yes. Here are just a few reasons yoga can assist in preventing falls.
Proprioception is your awareness of where you are in space. Yoga helps to optimize proprioception because you get to practice all sorts of different ways to stay upright, balanced and safe in lots of different positions.
Exteroception is your ability to take in information about the surface you are balancing on. We work on both of these in our yoga classes when we do balancing poses. Most people do yoga barefoot which is helpful to re-educate our feet allowing them to be more sensitive and responsive to the surfaces we are walking on. I also highly recommend walking barefoot outdoors but that’s another post.
Strength as we age our muscles can begin to atrophy (waste away which is why we hear people say “move it or lose it.” If we lose strength, it will affect our ability to balance. Not all yoga classes work on strength but many do especially during the standing poses. When we do balance poses and stand on one leg, we are building strength in the standing leg. I often shout out to my students “if your shaking that’s a good thing.”
Flexibility also decreases as we age due to decreased range of motion. You may feel stiff upon rising since our bodies tend to get dehydrated when we sleep. A simple round of a few poses can help with the feeling of stiffness.
There are of course many medical conditions that can affect our balance. Always seek advice if your balance doesn’t seem to be getting better through the practice of yoga.
XO, Pam
A Little Bird Told Me
Don’t bad-mouth your leaders, not even under your breath,
And don’t abuse your betters, even in the privacy of your home.
Loose talk has a way of getting picked up and spread around.
Little birds drop the crumbs of your gossip far and wide.
Ecclesiastes 10:20 The Message
Don’t bad-mouth your leaders, not even under your breath,
And don’t abuse your betters, even in the privacy of your home.
Loose talk has a way of getting picked up and spread around.
Little birds drop the crumbs of your gossip far and wide.
Ecclesiastes 10:20 The Message
Don’t say in private what you wouldn’t say in public.
But it’s so easy! We aren’t gossiping, right? We are just sharing our “concerns” about a friend or associate. Reputations aren’t the only thing ruined by unguarded words. Relationships and missions can be badly damaged or ruined. Think of organizations or churches you know that have split. Membership – the body of Christ - fractured because a legitimate concern was buried in salacious “details”.
If we feel we have a valid concern, the best course of action is to address it with the person involved not discuss it with those that aren’t. We know this! But, here is the rub; according to Psychology Today, “Humans gossip in the same way that chimpanzees groom each other. In chimps, grooming causes endorphins to be released in the brain, inducing euphoria. In humans, gossip generates a small high.”
Truth: we enjoy it.
It is really hard not to contribute. It’s like chocolate waved in front of us! It may be wrapped in concern or purpose but if it is spoken about someone rather than to someone, it is gossip. Speaking to others isn’t seeking resolution. Here is the gut check: Would you steal? What if we viewed gossip the same way we view theft? When we speak of another, aren’t we stealing their reputation?
Texas politician Sam Rayburn said, “Among my most prized possessions are words I’ve never spoken.”
Truer words never spoken.
XO, Mia